Travels in Brazil: Street Art Critiques of the World Cup [PHOTOS]

RIO DE JANEIRO — For those viewers watching World Cup coverage on television in the United States on ESPN and Univision, there has been hardly any coverage, if any at all, since the opening day regarding the protests against FIFA and the World Cup, and what the residents think. Many Brazilians are not happy to be hosting the tournament as they see it as a waste of money – money that should instead be going to public services, such as education and healthcare, and infrastructure. This has led to many protests, both direct as well as in other forms, including art.

A few days ago, I visited Santa Teresa and walked around. Santa Teresa is a neighborhood in the hills of Rio and known as an artistic hotspot. The walls of many buildings are covered with artistic paintings and messages that often provide a bit of social commentary. Naturally, there were some paintings dedicated to the World Cup.

First, here’s one that is hoping for Brazil to be crowned World Cup champions:

And now, some art that has more of an anti-FIFA World Cup message:

What do you think about these paintings?

Editor’s note:Travels In Brazil is a series of articles written by Jameson Lam, who is in Brazil for the tournament, where he tries to capture the mood, atmosphere and spirit of the World Cup, to share it with the readers of World Soccer Talk. Read the other articles in the Travels In Brazil series.

About The Author

Jameson is a Managing Editor Intern for World Soccer Talk. He played soccer for 10 years while growing up and supports Arsenal and the United States National Team. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area necessitates him to be insane enough to get up as early as 4:45 on Saturday morning to watch the Gunners play on TV. His full time job is in public health research, though he manages to squeeze in his fill of soccer news and matches.